Hallelujah

I've heard there was a secret chord
David played and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do ya ?
Well it goes like this:
The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you to her kitchen chair
She broke your throne, she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Oh baby I have been here before
I've seen this room and I've walked this floor
You know I used to live alone before I knew you
And I've seen your flag on the marble arch
And love is not a victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Well there was a time when you let me know
What's really going on below
But now you never show that to me do you
And remember when I moved in you
The holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Well maybe there is a God above
But all I've ever learned from love
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you
And it's not a cry that you hear at night
It's not somebody who's seen the light
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelu
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah - I'm sure most people have heard the meaningful lyrics to this song and had them stuck in their heads all day. It has been covered over 180 times (according to wikipedia) and was first sung by Leonard Cohen. The most famous copies (in order from oldest to newest) have included Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainwright and Alexandra Burke. Also John Cale and Kate Voegele.

Alexandra Burke was the winner of X Factor this year (UK show that is similarish to American Idol). She can sing, she's pretty and looks the part, but could you tell her apart from Leona Lewis over the radio? I like Leona, but we don't need a clone of her. Burke's winning single (which of course became Christmas no1) was a powerful rendition of Hallelujah.

I think this is similar to primary school. Your snotty nosed neighbour leans stealthily across the table and draws exactly what you've drawn. Colourful teach wanders over and kneels down, exclaiming about Johnny's marvellous work - not yours! His is pinned on the wall and he gets the credit and the glory.

I think it's an insult to the song that it can suddenly be turned into the result of just another silly reality show. There have been coutless official and unofficial copies of it, but line should have been drawn at a "winner's song". Especially since the X Factor is laughable nonsense. It's okay to watch, if you can stand the constant advert breaks, and a basic knowledge of the contestants is necessary if you're going to last a week in secondary school. Only, it's so fake and unreal.

None of the songs that reach number one are very different. The videos are always just a montage of X Factor Winner Version#1234, and the voice is the same velvet triumphance. It's terrible that even hallelujah can be subject to this. A sad song about love and death: a song played at funerals and tearful television moments.It's inappropriate!

No songs are safe! Lock them and their copyrights up no matter how much Version#1234 offers you!

Leonard Cohen's is very dirge-like, sung in an impossibly low key. This is befitting the nature and lyrics of the song, and it certainly takes a lot of skill to be able to sing that low. Jeff Buckley's is very individual, as is Rufus Wainwright's which you will find in Shrek (woo!).

However, in the end, Burke leans over Cohen's desk and her picture gets stuck on the wall. The brilliant (catchy and meaningful) melody gets turned into more churned-out conformity.

I'm sure Alexandra is a perfectly nice girl - it's likely the X-factor record deal gremlins with the bulging wallets that decided to benefit from this. It's sad.

Which version of hallelujah do you prefer?
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My new column is up on the internet! It's the February/March version of All Things Local, and the subject is the Joy of Food.